Media Advisory

TO:                    Features/Arts Editors and PSA Directors

FROM:                UAF Women's Center, UAF Student Activities and UAF Diversity Education Team

SUBJECT:           "When Spirit Cries" A One-Woman Drama Presentation

LOCATION:         UAF Salisbury Theater

DATE & TIME:     8 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 1997

Storyteller, comedienne and writer Judy-Ann Johnson will perform her one-person play "When Spirit Cries" at 8 p.m., Saturday, March 29 at the UAF Salisbury Theater. Johnson plays the part of Laura Jane, a character whose sense of humor and trust in her inner spirit transforms tragedy into triumph.

The play is based on Johnson's own life. Although born in California, Johnson spent most of her youth in Anchorage. She married at 18, became a mother at 19 and was divorced 15 months later. Her second marriage with an emotionally abusive husband ended while Johnson was living in Los Angeles.

Unskilled and unemployed, Johnson returned to Anchorage with a 6-year-old daughter. After several months on welfare, she began an entry level oil industry job. At the age of 38, she started college and earned a bachelor's degree in human resources development and education. She now provides workshops and training for government, educational and corporate audiences.

"When Spirit Cries" is written, produced and performed by Johnson as a positive message of perseverance and hope for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Tickets are $3 for UAF students, military and seniors; $5 for general admission. The performance is sponsored in part by the UAF Special Events Fund, the Betty Jo Staser Memorial Fund and the Sophie Station Hotel.

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact: Dorothy Jones, UAF Equal Opportunity Office, (907) 474-6600, or Carrie Dershin, UAF Student Activities Coordinator, (907) 474-6027.

DPD/3-19-97/97-067ma